Please Forgive Me
by readbetweenthesigns
Summary: Quinn had a proposition, she had to ask. "I know it's been fifteen years since graduation and we haven't really been friends since then, but could you do me a favour?" Complete, one shot, m for language.


**Disclaimer: Ownership is neither claimed nor implied.**

**A/N: "I know it's been fifteen years since graduation and we haven't really been friends since then, but could you do me a favour?"**

"Thank you, all of you, for coming here this evening," Quinn began nervously, glancing around the lounge at the assembled men. She paced up and down in front of the empty fire place, rubbing her hands together in an effort to control her jangling nerves. Quinn shivered slightly before taking a deep breath and turning to face everyone again. "I'm sure you're all wondering why I asked you here this evening, I know I haven't really seen some of you, most of you, since graduation," she said with a self-conscious laugh. "It's been a long time," she added, blushing just a touch.

"Not to throw you off your game or anything, Q," Puck butted in, "but is there any chance you could hurry this up?" he asked, curious as to why he and the majority of his old team mates from McKinley Titans, those who still lived in town, had been summoned to Dudley Road. Puck glanced up at the ceiling and just barely managed to control the smirk, knowing that above the lounge where he, Quinn and the fifteen or so other guys were convened, there was a bedroom, a bedroom that had seen him through many, many dreams and fantasies that had sprung forth every time he'd hit a dry spell, knowing that out of everyone here, he alone had breached the inner sanctum. Puck wondered if the bedroom was still pink.

"Somewhere to go Puckerman?" Quinn hissed waspishly at him, her eyes narrowing, her lips pursing just a touch.

"Someone to do," Puck corrected with a slow wink and a cheesy grin, "and I don't want to keep her waiting."

Quinn narrowed her eyes at Puck even more. "Why did I even ask him to come?" she asked herself. "I knew what he'd be like, still the same, still the freakin' sex freak," she silently grumbled. "Isn't that exactly why you asked him?" the voice of reason inside her head countered. "Anyway," Quinn said aloud, looking at all the other guys in the room, "the reason I have asked you all here, is because I'd like you to do something for me," she announced.

Quinn caught the puzzled and curious glances at both herself and each other. "What would you like us to do?" Mike Chang asked slowly, not entirely sure if he wanted to know the answer, Tina had been on his ass all day, grumbling about him attending this meeting without her, but none of the wives, girlfriends had been invited.

"Here's where we come to the tricky part," Quinn admitted. She looked around at each pair of eyes looking back at her. "Feel free to leave any time," she offered then took a deep, calming breath. "I would like one of you to be a sperm donor for me," she announced in a rush. She couldn't look up again, the silence was deafening, she marked the time in heartbeats. "One, two three, four…" she counted silently, waiting with her eyes closed for someone to speak.

Puck felt every pair of eyes flick to him, he didn't acknowledge any glance, his gaze was firmly on Quinn.

"I'm sorry," a few of the men replied shakily, standing and going to the doorway. "My wife wouldn't approve of this," Carson Granger said, his voice almost trembling, he was backing away as fast as the other bodies in the doorway would allow. "I don't think any of our wives would allow this to happen," he added, indicating the majority of the group.

Puck waited until the front door closed behind his former team mates. He watched Quinn's shoulders sag, saw the hope on her face slowly disappear. "Why?" he asked quietly, he looked at the four other guys who were still seated in the lounge. "Why do you need a sperm donor?" he asked, taking a step towards Quinn. "I thought you were settled with the prof," he added, his irreverent nickname for Quinn's on again off again long term partner, showing the disdain he'd always felt for the guy.

"Jeremy had a vasectomy years ago when his wife decided she didn't want any more children," Quinn replied, her fingers twisting together betraying the nervousness that she felt inside, nervousness that the outward calmness she was showing to her friends denied. "The reversal didn't work, he can't father a child with me," she shrugged.

"And?" Puck pushed, there had to be more to it than this, more than Quinn finally wanting a baby.

"And under the terms of my mother's will I can't inherit until my child has lived in this house with me for a full year," Quinn ground out, suddenly snapping at the unreasonable demands Judy Fabray had made of her. Even after all these years it still pissed Quinn off more than she could verbalise, Judy had manipulated Quinn like a master puppeteer to get exactly what she'd wanted, from the very _second_ that Puck had left her in the delivery room to cry on Mr Schue's shoulder, Judy had laid down the law and for seventeen years Quinn had followed her demands to the letter. And now, even from the grave she was still playing God with Quinn's life.

"Hold it, back up," Puck scoffed, "start at the beginning. Your mother left you _everything_?" he asked, Quinn nodded. "Your 'perfect' sister," he mocked, "didn't get _anything_?" he sounded incredulous, Quinn shook her head. "Man I bet she was pissed," he laughed, he'd met Frannie a few times over the years, she always made sure he knew exactly how she felt about him, he was the scumbag who had defiled her baby sister. Puck turned more serious for a second. "So why do you need a sperm donor? Just ask Beth to move in with you for a year," he advised with a shrug, he knew as well as the other guys still sat in the lounge that everything between Quinn and Shelby was cool now, it had been for the last six or seven years, ever since Beth had wanted to get to know her birth parents.

"She already thought of that, one of the codicils prevents me from doing that and actually, if _you_ do the deed, I get the house and Beth gets a sum of money equal to the market value of the house, if anyone else does it, I still get the house but Beth gets nothing," Quinn informed Puck, her tone a little mean, her entire body language screamed _DIVA_ at him.

"Hey, chill," Puck laughed, holding his hands up in surrender, "I didn't write your mother's will," he reminded her. "So basically Beth gets a huge bonus if I get you pregnant but not if someone else does?" he asked, more than a little puzzled. "Why? Your mother _always _hated me."

"She probably thought it wouldn't ever be a possibility, so why not dangle the carrot," Quinn shrugged. "Anyway, I need a child, I need sperm to get pregnant, I'm not allowed, under the terms of the will, to use an anonymous donor or a sperm bank, I have to have some sort of relationship with my baby's father and so here I am, asking all of you, my friends, if one of you will…." she trailed off, her head going back just a touch, taking a breath in, pulling herself up, blinking back the tears, looking more regal than ever before.

"Quinn, I would love to be able to help you," Sam said quietly as he stood up, "but once again this is 'rich, white girl' problems," he reminded her of a long ago conversation. Sam risked a glance at Puck when he turned to leave the lounge on his way out of the house. He knew neither Quinn nor Beth would have anything to worry about, just from the look that Puck gave him back, Sam knew the other guys should just leave now and let them get on with it.

One by one the remaining men apologised and left. Quinn turned and rested her head against the ornate mantelpiece, her fingers cushioning her forehead. "So it's come to this," Puck murmured from just behind her.

Quinn jumped, she'd thought they'd all gone, she spun round in shock. "You're still here?" she breathed. "Are you just going to gloat and then leave me too?" she asked.

"Maybe," Puck murmured, sitting down on the huge leather sofa. "Maybe I just want to clarify some details before I can give this some proper thought," he suggested, glancing up at Quinn's pinched features. "First off, if I do this with you," he said quietly, "the prof has to go, permanently."

Quinn looked up sharply, her dismayed gaze landing on the one person she'd thought she couldn't count on. "He's been history for a few months now," Quinn admitted. "He couldn't take all the tests and procedures we were going through to try to get me pregnant, he's gone back to his wife. Again," she added sadly.

Puck nodded but didn't say anything against the aging professor. "Yay," he cheered inside his head. "Thank fuck for that," he crowed to himself, he'd always hated the thought of such an older man laying his hands on Quinn, not that he would have ever told Quinn that and really, he should have got used to it, they'd been together on and off for years and years, ever since Quinn was a student at Yale, but Puck had always hated it. "Well, that's one obstacle already out of the way," he murmured aloud. "If we do this, do you want to be in a relationship with me?" he asked and watched a range of emotions pass over Quinn's face.

"I..err…I," Quinn stuttered, "I don't know," she whispered, her throat sounded very dry and scratchy, she swallowed a couple of times as though she was going to be sick. "I hadn't thought about that," she admitted. "Is it a deal breaker?" she asked.

"No, not really," Puck replied. "As long as you aren't in a relationship with anyone else it'll be cool I suppose," he said.

"I'm not," Quinn was quick to assure him.

Puck sat back and nodded, thinking some more, waiting for Quinn to demand the same of him, that he forego any other female company, she didn't. "How are we going to do this?" he asked. "_If_ we do this," he added in a rush, "I mean, is it going to be clinical or will we do it the old fashioned way?" he asked, his eyebrow and the corner of his mouth lifting just slightly, suggestively.

Quinn couldn't help the little snort of hurt that broke free, she rolled her eyes and shook her head just fractionally. "I might have known," she said sadly, "you were just leading me on, weren't you? Just giving me false hope," she sneered a little. "That's a new low, even for you," she accused.

"Fine," Puck growled as he pushed up from the sofa, "fuck you Quinn, I wasn't leading you on but fuck you, see if you can find another sucker to give you what you've always wanted from me," he hissed as he left the room.

"Puck, no, come back," Quinn shouted, chasing after him. "Please, come back," she begged, breaking down in tears, "please," she sobbed, falling to her knees in the hall, crying at the hopelessness she felt inside.

Puck turned at the door, his hand on the lock. "Fuck," he breathed almost silently as he pushed himself away to crouch down beside Quinn, to give her comfort. "Hey come on," he murmured, "it's not worth all this," he added, trying to lighten the mood a little, "it's just a house," he said, glancing round the hall, "a freakin' _mansion_ house," he added to himself silently.

"It is," Quinn insisted through her tears. "If I don't do this, all this, all of it, everything reverts to my father, he gets everything and I can't let that happen," she cried.

"Scumbag gets the lot if you don't produce?" Puck cried, aghast once again at Judy Fabray's manipulations. "Well fuck that," he ground out, "you were the one who put up with her for all these years, put up with all her crazy, you've earned this, come on," he said as he pulled her to her feet.

"Where are we going?" Quinn asked, still sobbing, allowing Puck to lead her to the stairs.

"Your room," Puck announced. "Fitting don't you think?" he asked. "We can make a start tonight and just keep going till we knock one out," he informed her with a glint in his eye.

Puck glanced back as Quinn drew in a shuddering breath. "You'll really do this for me?" she asked, her tears slowing on her face.

"I'll do this _with_ you," Puck corrected, still trying to lead Quinn up the stairs.

"There's one more thing," Quinn felt she had to say, "we only have eighteen months to do this."

"A year and a half? Why?" Puck asked, his footsteps faltering slightly.

"I have until I'm thirty-five to produce an heir or at least be carrying one," Quinn quoted, "otherwise everything goes to my dad."

"Well hell, girl, no pressure," Puck laughed. "It only took one time before," he reminded her as they neared the top of the stairs. "Your room?" he asked silkily, his head descending, their lips meeting.

Quinn felt an explosion of heat in her stomach the instant Puck's lips touched hers, her body remembered every kiss, every touch and responded without thought. "Mmm," Quinn moaned in agreement, her head nodding the slightest, slightest bit.

Puck pushed the door open, he looked away from her mesmerising green eyes to glance into the room, the room that had been the scene of his downfall, his epic spiral into misery and depression, the room that had witnessed the creation of something so spectacular, Puck felt sure it was recorded in the fabric of the room for all eternity. "Still pink," he muttered as he led the way in.

Puck dropped his black leather jacket on the window seat as he pulled the blinds. "Wouldn't want Mrs Jefferson calling my mother now, would we?" he teased a little, trying to lighten the suddenly tense mood in the room.

"You're really going to do this for me?" Quinn whispered, her hands fluttering near her waist, she barely seemed able to take a full breath.

"No, I'm going to do this _with_ you," Puck corrected again, stepping back in front of Quinn, his hands settling at her waist, feeling her tremble. "But first, you're just going to lie here and let me hold you," he murmured, leading her to the bed. "Just let me hold you for a while, you can tell me all about it and we'll see what happens, ok," he encouraged, hoping that Quinn would manage to calm down, breathe easier.

Quinn sighed contentedly when she felt the comforting weight of Puck's arm over her, his warmth at her back. She closed her eyes for a second and felt herself whisked back in time…

_"What about Finn," she asked a touch breathlessly, her lips tingling from the strength of Puck's kisses, kisses the like of which she'd never experienced before. Quinn felt the warmth of a hand slide up her smooth, tanned thigh and under her tiny, red skirt, her skin quivered, her breath shivered, this was wrong, so wrong. It was so, so right._

"You ok?" Puck asked, he could feel Quinn trembling in his arms. "Hey, we don't have to do this today, we don't have to do this at all, we can go the in vitro route if you prefer," he offered, "I just thought you might want this one to be made the same as Beth," he murmured and gave a self conscious little shrug, "with love," he added as his lips found the spot below her ear that connected with every nerve in Quinn's universe.

Quinn rolled a touch and looked back over her shoulder. "_Did_ you love me?" she asked, her eyes searching Puck's for his answer.

"You know I did, Q," Puck replied, his voice and his eyes sincere, he desperately wanted to add that he still did but he didn't think Quinn was quite ready to hear that. Not yet.

* * *

One week later

"So I have to hear about this at Temple?" Monica Puckerman demanded in her slightly accented English.

"Hear about what, Ma?" Puck asked lazily as he poured sugar into his coffee.

"You, shacking up with that selfish bi…" Monica started to answer.

"Careful Ma," Puck advised without looking up from his newspaper, "I haven't made your mortgage payment yet this month and Nadine's tuition is due, do you want to rephrase that?" he asked finally raising his eyes.

Monica's lips twisted and pouted as she held herself back from speaking her mind. "Is it true?" she finally demanded. "Are you living with _Quinn_?" she asked, the venom dripped like acid as she said Quinn's name.

"I'm helping her with a project," Puck answered carefully, watching his mom over his coffee cup, seeing the emotions ripple across her face. He knew she could barely contain herself, he knew she wanted to see Quinn face to face and put her straight on a few things. Puck knew he would move heaven and earth to prevent that from happening.

* * *

That night

"We don't need wine," Quinn murmured with a grin, pleased that Puck had made the effort, wine, flowers, candlelight, they might not need it, but it sure was nice that he'd gone to the trouble. "Jeremy…no, no comparisons Quinn, this is for your future," she told herself then sighed with pleasure as Puck's lips touched hers.

* * *

Later that night

Heavy breathing filled the pink bedroom at Dudley Road. "God, it's still awesome with you, every time," Puck gasped, trying to bring his breathing back under control. "I need a bit more recovery time than I used to," he admitted with a wink, "but hey, get me a Coke Zero and I'll be good to go in no time."

Quinn turned her face towards him, she felt the smile fill her face. "Get your own coke," she laughed, "I'm not moving from here," she indicated the bed and twitched her hips that were currently elevated to keep everything where it needed to be.

"No, you stay there," Puck agreed, rolling back onto her, he kissed his way down her body, his lips on her stomach, his hands under her back, cupped over her shoulders. "Do you think it's happening right now? Puckasaurus conquering Quinnzilla," he teased, "breaching her defences," he murmured, turning a little more serious, his lips becoming more persistent, more seductive. Puck kissed his way back up to her lips. "Oh I'm so ready," he groaned and entered her again, made her moan again, made her shiver again, made her cry out again, made her fly apart again.

* * *

A month later

"So, you're sure this is a good thing?" Monica demanded crossly while she folded her son's laundry. "And you're supposed to just walk away again?"

"We haven't worked that out yet," Puck admitted. "Ma, just…just trust me, ok," he said softly, kissing his mom on the forehead then leaving her to her tasks.

* * *

Four months later

"Oh God, this is the longest three minutes of my life," Quinn sighed, checking her watch for the tenth time in as many seconds.

"Relax," Puck urged gently, "if this is negative we just get right down to it and do it again," he grinned and rolled his eyes, making it sound like such a hardship.

Quinn chewed her lip nervously. She couldn't think negative right now, time was slipping away from them. Five times they'd gone through this since her proposition, she didn't know how many more times she could do it. "Maybe we should do the in vitro thing," she said once again. "At least then we'll know if the eggs are actually getting fertilised."

"Hey," Puck pouted, "are you doubting my ability to knock you up?" he demanded. "Do I have to remind you that we managed that once before, without even trying?"

Quinn shook her head and glanced at her watch again. "It's time," she sighed. "I can't look," she moaned and passed the wand to Puck.

Puck took the wand from her and glanced at the screen, he looked up to see Quinn still facing away from him. He sighed heavily and let his shoulders slump. Quinn spun back to look at him, tears just trembling over her eyelashes. She searched his face, looking for the answer in his sad eyes and even sadder smile. Quinn broke down in tears. "I can't take this," she cried, "I can't keep doing this month after month, it's just, it's wrong, I can't believe my mother really wanted to put me through this," she wailed, her hands thrust into her hair. "I can't, it's just not right, it's torture, no sane person should have to live like this," she rambled, pacing left and right, a few steps one side then back the other way, talking to herself.

"Q," Puck called, trying to get her attention, "Quinn," he tried again, reaching out to take one of her hands that was now waving about in front of her. "Hey, chill, Q, look, look at this," he directed, waving the wand in her field of vision. "Quinn, we did it, look, here, it's positive, we did it," he said softly, still not getting through Quinn's continued quiet rant to herself.

Something must have penetrated. Quinn stopped suddenly. "We did it?" she asked, confused, reaching for the hand that still held the wand. "We did?" she sighed, reading the screen, her tears falling heavier, happy tears. "Oh God we did it," she breathed and threw herself into Puck's arms, sobbing into his chest.

"We did it," Puck mumbled into her hair, holding her tight to him.

* * *

A week later

"So you're going to be a daddy?" Monica demanded when he visited the following week. "Are you sure it's yours?" she asked, her face a mask of suspicion.

"Oh come on Ma," Puck sighed, "don't you think it's time to give this a rest? Quinn is always going to be in my life, we'll always connect over Beth and with the new baby too, don't you think it's time you gave her a chance?" he asked.

"I gave her a chance once before," Monica claimed, "and she nearly destroyed you, she doesn't deserve a second chance."

"Don't you think that's exaggerating things a bit?" Puck asked, his face showing exactly what he thought of his mothers claims of the past.

"Exaggerating things?" Monica cried. "I don't think so. Does she still think you went to that jail place because you tried to steal a cash machine?" she demanded.

Puck shrugged uncomfortably, he'd never disabused anyone of that notion, his reputation as a badass had increased tenfold when Sue Sylvester had made up that little nugget. "It's a matter of public record," Puck sidestepped, "anyone can look up the details of the trial if they want."

"Except it wasn't you on trial and you were only in the jail for your own protection," Monica reminded him.

"Ma, this is ancient history," Puck sighed. "It has no bearing on the present or the future," he declared firmly. "And I'd really like for you to get along with Quinn, she really needs some mothering right now."

Monica made a dismissive noise and mumbled under her breath in Yiddish. "Bring her to dinner," she ordered without any grace and scowled at her son.

"Thanks Ma," Puck murmured as he kissed his mother's forehead before leaving her.

* * *

Three days later

"Come on Q," Puck sighed, "my mom really wants you to come for dinner."

Quinn looked at Puck over her juice glass. She'd dodged the subject for three days. "I am genuinely struggling to believe that the Monica Puckerman _I_ know _really _wants to make dinner for me," Quinn replied. "Unless of course she gets to put arsenic in whatever she makes for me."

"She's not _that_ bad," Puck lied and rolled his eyes. He sighed and felt like a tug of war rope, being pulled between two equally strong forces.

"She _hates_ me," Quinn reminded Puck, she leaned forward as she said it to emphasise her meaning, her intensity. "When I left you before she vowed that she'd strike me down as soon as the opportunity arose, her words, not mine."

"That was like, nearly eighteen years ago," Puck excused, "I think she's forgiven you now," he added, totally lying. Quinn didn't reply, she just made a very dismissive noise and looked away.

* * *

Two days later

"Welcome to my home," Monica said out of politeness, her tone totally insincere, bored, there was no genuine feeling in her words.

"Thank you," Quinn responded, her voice equally emotionless. "These are for you," she almost snarled as she thrust a bunch of gas station flowers at Monica.

Puck stood with his sister quietly asking her about college while keeping an eye on the two women, waiting for the gloves to come off and for one of them to lose her cool. It didn't take long.

"So you needed my Noah to keep your house, huh?" Monica asked, definite traces of a sneer in her tone. "But you've always wanted my Noah, you never could stay away from him, could you?" she demanded.

"I don't know," Quinn replied as she folded her napkin again and again, "I don't think I've done a bad job of staying away from him for the last fifteen years or so and actually, Monica, he offered to help, maybe it's Noah who can't stay away from me," she sniped, automatically slipping into the practice of using his first name in front of his mother, Monica hated hearing her son being referred to as 'Puck'.

"And I think we should end this conversation before it gets any worse," Puck cut in before either of them could start again. "How's college, Nadine?" he asked even though he'd already had that conversation, he just wanted a change of subject.

"Really good," Nadine replied, nodding, "only two more semesters then I'm done," she grinned, "and what a saving that will be for you, right Noah?"

Quinn frowned and looked at Puck and his sister, puzzled. "What do you mean?" she asked.

"Noah pays for all my tuition, expenses and housing costs," Nadine explained, she looked a bit confused, she felt sure that Quinn would have known that, should have known that, known what sort of man her brother was. "He pays the mortgage on this place too," she announced.

Puck glared at his sister. He'd never told Quinn any of that, he didn't think she needed to know. Quinn stared at Puck wondering how he could manage. He had a decent job she knew that and his own home, she knew he paid a mortgage on that, it wasn't the biggest house but it was in a good area, he had a very decent truck and she knew that hadn't come cheap, Nadine, she knew, was at Stanford studying law and that certainly didn't come cheap and now she found he was paying his mom's mortgage too. How was he managing to do all that?

"I think you should tell her everything, she is the mother of your child after all," Nadine shrugged, finishing off her glass of wine.

"Yes I think you should tell me everything," Quinn agreed, staring at Puck across the table.

"_Now_ you want to know?" Monica demanded. "Now you're interested? You weren't interested years ago when it all happened but now you want to know," she grumbled, and muttered to herself in Yiddish, more to hear herself speak than anything else, no one else understood what she was saying.

"Ma, can you please, for the love of God just stop with the bitching," Puck sighed. "Quinn never had any reason to know, there was never any _cause_ for her to know," he reminded his mother.

"Know what, exactly?" Quinn demanded, she really, really wanted to know now.

Puck sighed, resigned to dragging up long buried feelings and information. "You remember at the start of junior year, I got sent to juvie, right?" he said, sighing again, Quinn nodded. "Well I didn't exactly get locked up for doing something wrong," he explained. "I witnessed something and I was taken to the Mondale School for Boys for my own protection, the parole officer and stuff was all a cover, for show, she was really an FBI agent assigned to take care of me."

"Wow," Quinn said the only thing her jumbled brain would let her. She sat back and tried to work things out. "No, I don't get it, it still doesn't make sense to me, how does that mean you can afford to do all this stuff?" she asked.

"Because I witnessed a kidnapping," Puck explained, "I told the police, the FBI, I gave evidence in court and I got the reward, " he said, nodding wondering if things made a bit more sense. "One point two million," he added. "Dollars," he finally remembered to say.

Quinn was speechless, her chin was on her chest. "And you've kept that information to yourself, all these years?" she choked. "You've never felt the need to share that with anyone, like I don't know, the mother of your child?" she demanded.

"Why?" Puck asked. "Why did you need to know? It's all tied up in trusts and shares and stuff, I just have access to enough to make life comfortable for us," he indicated his family, "you too now, obviously. Beth has a monthly income from it, she always has had, it's paid into her college fund, Shelby knows about it but not where it's from, this baby will have the same," he said with a nod towards her stomach.

"I didn't mean the money," Quinn replied, her voice drowned out by Nadine's happy cry.

"You're pregnant?" Nadine cried and rushed to hug Quinn. "Oh that's so cool, when are you getting married?" she demanded, giving her brother a mock scowl. "Don't tell me you aren't getting married, I'll sue him for you," she promised Quinn, "breach of contract or something, I'll find something," she declared, hugging Quinn again.

"We're not getting married, Nadine," Puck sighed. "If I thought for one second she'd say yes, I'd have asked her years ago, but she won't ever," he shrugged.

Quinn remained silent. Now she wouldn't, that's for sure. How could she possibly marry him now? If she did his mother would forever think she'd married him for his money and she already hated her. Why did she hate her? "So how does this make you hate me?" she demanded of Monica.

"It wasn't _that_ that made me hate you," Monica replied, not for one moment denying that she did hate Quinn, "it was what you did before. You stayed here, made us all think that keeping Beth was a possibility then you just up and left days before she was born and then you gave her to Shelby when she was just days old. If you didn't want to keep her, why didn't you let me take her? I would have taken her," she told Quinn, such a wave of feeling in those words.

"It wasn't my choice," Quinn returned, her voice thick with emotion. "If I'd have had my choice I would have kept Beth, raised her with Noah, but my parents sent their minister to see me at school," she revealed. Quinn felt her throat closing up as the long ago memories bubbled up to the surface. Quinn cleared her throat to try to speak. "When I came to live here with you, when I was expecting Beth, I was still only fifteen years old, I turned sixteen three weeks before she was born, if you remember. The minister told me that if I went ahead and kept the baby then my parents would have no option but to have Noah charged with statutory rape of a minor," she revealed. "In the delivery room, my mom said the same thing, she even had the paperwork signed and notarised, she showed me when you went out to tell everyone," Quinn explained. "She said they had an officer waiting to arrest you, I couldn't do that to you, to Beth, it would have been too cruel," she shuddered. "That's why I left, that's why I gave her up."

Nadine looked like she was thinking, referring to some information hiding in the depths of her brain. "But Noah is only six months older than you," she said slowly, "even back then they wouldn't have been able to arrest Noah, in Ohio the age of consent is sixteen, and actually, counting back, you were _both_ fifteen at the time of conception, right?" she asked, Puck and Quinn took a moment to remember, they both nodded. "So actually, you were both minors in the eyes of the law, the case would have been dismissed, laughed out of court if they'd have actually gone ahead and arrested him," Nadine announced with a firm nod.

Quinn turned her stricken face to look at Puck. "All these years, we wasted all these years because they lied to me?" she asked, her voice croaky, husky.

"Looks like it," Puck shrugged. "I thought you just didn't want to be with me, didn't love me," he pouted.

"Of course I loved you, you idiot," Quinn growled at Puck, angry now about the wasted years, the years they could have had with Beth. "I wouldn't have had sex with you in the first place if I didn't love you," she muttered, realising that this conversation would possibly be better if it wasn't in front of his mother.

"So why did you ignore him then?" Monica demanded. "Why wouldn't you talk to him? That's why he did it you know, it's still your fault," she accused.

"Did what?" Quinn cried, getting more confused than ever.

"Tried to kill himself you stupid girl," Monica screamed. "Why do you think he was stood on top of the water tower in the first place? How else would he have seen those men taking that girl, that senator's daughter? He was planning to jump, he wanted to die and it's your fault."

Quinn gulped, her eyes wide. Puck had really done that? Driven to the outskirts of town, climbed the water tower intending to jump off? "But you've never tried that since, right?" she asked, she needed to be sure she wasn't dealing with more of her mother's style of crazy, she couldn't live through that again.

"No," Puck laughed, embarrassed at Quinn knowing. "I had counselling at Mondale, I saw a therapist for a couple of years, no major breakdown since," he assured her, rolling his eyes, his lips lifting in his trademark half smile. "Why, would you want to be my therapist Dr Fabray?" he asked, giving Quinn the look, the one that she knew so well.

"No I don't think it's a good idea to mix professional and personal lives," Quinn replied, her tone pedantic yet almost verging on superior.

"That's ok," Puck nodded, "I'd rather have a personal life with you than a professional one," he admitted, leering just slightly.

"I still think you should get married," Nadine put in when it seemed no one had anything to say for a few minutes. "Let this baby know it's really wanted, Beth is cool with the two of you, right?" she asked. "Does she know about…" she nodded expressively towards Quinn's middle.

"Not yet," Puck answered, "we only had the pregnancy confirmed a few days ago," he informed his sister.

"I think you should tell her, and soon," Nadine advised, "don't let her find out from anyone else."

* * *

Three days later

"I'm glad you could make it Munchkin," Puck said, giving Beth a hug.

"Seriously Noah, I know you've worked hard at dropping the Monkey-face bit," Beth said, trying to hide the hint of a smirk, "but if you want me to come to dinner again you better quit with the Munchkin thing too," she advised. "What are you doing at Quinn's anyway?" she asked. "Last time I was here for dinner Professor Old-man was in residence."

"His name is Jeremy Newman as you well know," Quinn grinned from the kitchen doorway, "and he won't be joining us ever again."

"Nah, she's got that out of her system, she's stuck with me now," Puck said with a wink at Beth. "So, how's school?" he asked.

"School is school," Beth replied, rolling her eyes and pulling a face in Quinn's direction. They chatted on, making small talk till after they'd finished eating. "So, who wants to go first?" Beth asked. "There's definitely something, you're both acting like weirdos," she giggled.

"We do have something we'd like to discuss with you," Puck said after taking a hefty swallow of his beer. "Erm, well, the thing is, we," he indicated between himself and Quinn, "have been seeing a lot of each other recently," he said, chickening out of his rehearsed speech.

"Well, duh," Beth scoffed. "Like I hadn't already figured that one out, genius," she mocked. Puck and Quinn glanced at each other. "God, you're hopeless. The eye-sex is a dead give away," she informed them both and loved seeing the hint of a blush cover Puck's cheeks, Quinn was just bright red, another dead give away. "Your stuff in Quinn's bedroom is another. Hey sue me, I always have a peek when I come over here, it makes me smile to know I was made in that bedroom," she added with a huge grin.

Puck covered his face with his hands, his elbows rested on the table, he let out a huge sigh. "Anything else?" he asked, resigned to even more embarrassment.

"Mmmm," Beth murmured and screwed up her face. "Nana Monica told me at Temple ages ago," she admitted.

Quinn looked at Puck, her mouth open in disbelief. "Ooh, your mother," she hissed. Puck held up a hand, halting her flow of words, he could guess what the next ones were going to be.

"And did Nana Monica say anything else, other than I'm staying here with Quinn?" Puck asked, his tone deceptively calm and friendly.

"Yep, she said you were trying to knock Quinn up again," Beth replied with a wink. "I guess you did it," she smiled. "Congratulations?" she fished.

"I am so going to kill your mother," Quinn vowed quietly. "Your sister can defend me when I get arrested."

"Well she could, but Nadine is studying corporate law," Beth informed Quinn, trying not to giggle. "Well?" she demanded, her grin getting bigger and bigger. "Are you going to tell me?"

"Yes," Puck sighed. "I am living here with Quinn and we are finally," he said with a hint of a laugh, "pregnant again."

"How do you feel about that?" Quinn asked, reaching over the table to cover Beth's hand with her own.

"I'm cool with it," Beth nodded. "I appreciate that you're telling me yourselves rather than just letting me find out about it, but I'm cool with it." Puck and Quinn both heaved a sigh of relief.

"I think that went better than I expected," Quinn yawned, stretching slightly as she dragged her dress over her head once they were going to bed.

"She's a mature, sensible girl," Puck shrugged, "why would it have been an issue for her?" he asked as he followed Quinn into the bathroom.

* * *

Six months later

"I think Nadine was right," Puck announced. He was laid on the sofa tossing grapes into his mouth and watching a local news broadcast.

"About what?" Quinn murmured, totally distracted as she tried to reach her toenails.

Puck watched in amusement for a few minutes, watched her tongue poking between her lips, moving around her mouth mimicking the movement of nail polish brush. "There's no way your arms are long enough to reach," he grinned. Puck sat up and held his hand out for the nail polish. "Come on, give it here," he said with a smirk and a roll of his eyes.

Quinn gratefully sat back and plonked her feet in Puck's lap. "What was Nadine right about?" she asked, watching Puck get busy painting her toenails, her hands stroking over the mound of their baby.

"We should get married," Puck answered, his voice a little distracted as he concentrated on his task. He sat up straight and admired his work. "Well?" he demanded.

"You've done a good job, no smudges," Quinn praised, her heart beating erratically in her chest.

"Not that," Puck sighed, "the getting married bit. Well?" he asked again, his eyebrows high up on his forehead.

"That's your idea of a proposal?" Quinn demanded. "Forget it, I'm not that desperate," she griped quietly.

* * *

Two months later

"Thirty seven weeks," Dr Purdy reminded Quinn as she poked and prodded, felt and measured Baby Puckerman, happily still in situ. "And we're all ready for your elective c-section, yes?" she asked.

"Ermm, yes," Quinn replied with a gulp. "I do have one question though," she added then stretched herself out a bit, easing the kink in her back. "Could we at least try for a natural birth? I know Dr Kaur was opposed to it due to my car accident, but that was years ago, my spine and pelvis have healed completely," she assured with a slightly nervous giggle.

"And as you've been reminded numerous times, Quinn," Dr Purdy said gently, "the injuries were of such a nature that you have some residual instability there, the force of natural labour and delivery could compromise that. We are only doing this to keep you as safe as possible," she said gently, her hand giving Quinn's knee an encouraging squeeze. "Plus an elective c-section rather than an emergency one means you can be awake for it and Noah can be there with you instead of waiting outside," she added.

"Q, the c-section is safer for you," Puck said quietly close to her ear. He watched her eyes fill with tears as he helped her to sit up on the couch.

"Ok," Quinn sighed, looking up into Puck's worried eyes, "I'll stop trying to change their minds," she agreed, happy to see some relief flood his gorgeous eyes. The rest of the appointment went routinely, no major issues, nothing to cause concern.

"I still think we should be married before we're parents," Puck said again as he helped Quinn into the car.

"I don't think so," Quinn trilled, her nose in the air. "If and when I ever do get married, it won't be because I'm pregnant and my baby daddy has a burning need to follow convention," she stated and leaned over to brush her nose against Puck's shoulder. She inhaled deeply, loving his scent, his essence. "Mmmm," she moaned, "take me home, I feel really, really horny," she growled playfully.

Puck glanced in Quinn's direction, one eyebrow arched up, the corner of his mouth lifting slightly. "Yes ma'am," he murmured as he started the engine.

"Crap," Quinn pouted as they pulled onto the driveway in front of the house. Monica, Nadine and Beth were waiting for them. "Hi," Quinn called as she got out of the car before Puck could help her. "What are you doing here?" she asked, her curiosity piqued.

"They came because I asked them to," Puck admitted, wishing now, in light of Quinn's statement outside the doctor's office, that he hadn't.

"And?" Quinn demanded, her fists bunched and resting where her hips used to be.

"They're here to plead my case for me, maybe convince you that Baby Puckerman here," it still pissed Puck off that Quinn didn't want to know what they were having, "deserves to have parents who are married, who love each other enough to make that commitment," he explained, giving Quinn a little pout, hoping it was going to finally do the trick.

Quinn smiled and rolled her eyes. "We don't _need_ to be married," she sighed once again. "We didn't set out to get in a relationship with each other," she reminded him, mumbling into his chest when he pulled her close. "The baby will know we love him, her, we don't need a ring and a piece of paper," she insisted.

"And maybe I do," Puck murmured, rubbing his hands up and down her arms, his lips against her hair. Puck's hands settled gently on Quinn's cheeks and tilted her head back slightly so he could look into her eyes. "I really, really do," he said quietly, intensely. "I want all of it, the ring, the piece of paper, the same name, I want it all," he told her, staring into her eyes, he saw when the look changed.

"You really mean that?" Quinn asked breathlessly. "You really want all that? With me?"

"Yes, I really, really do," Puck replied with a little huff of laughter, his fingers tangling in her hair just a little. "So, will you? Will you marry me?" Puck asked quietly, so quietly.

"Yes," Quinn answered, her voice barely a whisper.

"She said yes," Puck called over Quinn's shoulder to the three other ladies in his life, his huge grin could not be contained. "Thank you," he murmured as his lips touched Quinn's.

"Finally," Nadine cried, applauding as she ran to throw her arms around the couple, Beth followed just as quickly, Monica more slowly.

"So you didn't need us here after all," Monica grumbled. "But you better take care of him," she warned Quinn, the hint of a sparkle in her eyes.

"I will," Quinn promised, her eyes still locked with Puck's.

"Keep saying that," Puck murmured, dropping another sweet kiss on her trembling lips. "So we can do this tonight?" he asked Nadine. "Everything is set?"

"What?" Quinn screeched, pulling away from Puck slightly. "Tonight?" she demanded. "You have got to be kidding me," she cried. "I can't do this _tonight_," she declared, amazed that he would even consider it could be possible. "I was thinking more like next year, maybe, six months at least, I can't do this today, I don't even have a dress," she mumbled, her hands fluttering through her hair, trembling with nerves.

"We sort of have the dress for you," Beth revealed, not sure how Quinn was going to feel about that.

"What did you get? A tent?" Quinn demanded crossly. "I can't do this today, I'm not prepared, I'm not ready, I only just said yes for God's sake," she cried at Puck.

"Yes you can," Puck contradicted, "it's not about what we wear, it's about who is with us when we say 'I do'," he said quietly. "All I want is for this to happen before next week, before this one," he stroked her stomach, "joins us. Please? Will you do that for me?" he pleaded very quietly.

Quinn stayed silent for a long time, she searched Puck's eyes, saw everything there she could ever want to know. "Ok," she said very, very quietly.

"Thank you," Puck sighed, hugging her close to him, peace radiating through him.

* * *

That night

"I still can't believe we're getting married in jeans," Quinn grumbled, glancing down at her legs encased in dark maternity jeans. At least her shirt was bright and cheerful and she had a sweet little flower in her hair.

"Stop whining," Puck answered with a grin, "we'll do this again in six months, invite everyone, have the suit, the dress, cake and stuff, tonight is just for us," he reminded her. "And I really thought the dress they'd bought for you would fit, I'm sorry," he murmured, Quinn poked her tongue out at him.

Quinn's voice broke as she repeated the words the judge directed her to, eventually she managed, her lips trembling, tears quivering on her lashes. "I will," she whispered in answer to the judge's question. Puck fared much better, he sounded much more confident, in control.

"I now pronounce you, husband and wife," the judge said with an indulgent smile as Puck's head descended to Quinn's to kiss her thoroughly.

* * *

Nine days later

"Are you sure you can't feel anything?" Puck asked, nipping Quinn's thigh again.

"Nope," Quinn answered, "but if I'm covered in bruises tomorrow you better watch your man pieces," she warned.

"This is so cool," Puck whispered, leaning closer to Quinn's ear. "You aren't screaming at me telling me I suck, you aren't squeezing the crap out of my hand, I like this," he nodded.

"Ok, Quinn, Noah," Dr Purdy said as she breezed into the operating room, "are we all set for Baby Puckerman?" she asked, her eyes gleamed over the mask that hid the rest of her face.

"Yes we are," Puck replied, leaning in to kiss Quinn's forehead. Quinn nodded apprehensively and glanced to her side to where Puck sat tapping his foot nervously.

The screen hid most of the gory details of the operation from them, Quinn was aware that something was happening in her stomach but she couldn't actually feel it or any pain. The elation they both felt as their baby was held aloft and they got their first glimpse of him, was immeasurable. "Here we are," Dr Purdy cried, as excited as anyone, "your son," she announced.

"Son," Puck sighed, leaning to kiss Quinn again. "Our son, our boy," he said over and over, he couldn't believe the sheer joy that raced through his entire being.

"Our son," Quinn barely managed to whisper, emotion overwhelming her.

Dr Purdy tilted the baby so they could see him better. "Oh God, he's beautiful," Puck managed to say, his voice breaking. "He's so beautiful."

* * *

Twelve months later

"Hey Alfie," Puck called as he came in with the mail. "Did you get there all by yourself?" he asked, his voice and facial expression totally exaggerated. "Better not let mommy know you climbed up there," he advised, helping his son back down to floor level. "Quinn, a letter for you, it looks official," he called up the stairs.

"Coming," Quinn replied, jogging downstairs, slightly out of breath. "Oh, it's from my mom's lawyer," she said in surprise when she saw the crest on the envelope. "Oh," she said, even more surprised as she read the contents. "Oh my God," she exclaimed, her eyes as wide as saucers. "Read this," she insisted, thrusting the letter under Puck's nose.

Puck took the letter from Quinn, he could see it was hand written, in beautiful script, whoever had put pen to paper had lovely penmanship. Puck cleared his throat and began to read the letter out loud. "My Dearest Quinn," he read then looked at her, rolled his eyes and pulled a gagging face. "My Dearest Quinn," he repeated. "First of all if you are reading this letter then my congratulations to you, on your child's first birthday and please tell my grandchild happy birthday from me," Puck read then laughed a little. "I can only hope that you didn't find the stipulations of my will too exacting, I would hate for this letter to be stuck away in a vault, never seeing light of day which would mean that Russell scooped the lot. Anyway, I'm getting sidetracked and you wouldn't believe how easy that is to do when you're writing a letter. I've already written the other one, the one you'll receive if you don't have a child, I hope that's the letter that stays locked in the vault. And again, I digress. There was a reason for the stipulations - I say stipulations, plural - because I really hope that my greatest wish has come true, that you're now with the man you should always have been with and that you're happy, both of you and that you've forgiven me, even you Noah," Puck laughed when he read that, he looked up at Quinn, seeing her with their son in her arms, her lips grazing his chubby cheek, the warmest glow of pure love settled over him. Puck sighed and continued reading. "I truly hope that Beth has received a letter today too, she deserves it, she has grown into such a beautiful young lady, you should both be very proud of her. One of my biggest regrets is what I did to you on the day she was born, I lied to you Quinn and I am so sorry for that, I broke up what could have been a beautiful family and forced you to give your daughter away and I will never forgive myself for that, I can only hope that someday all three of you will find it in your hearts to forgive me."

Puck looked over at Quinn, saw the trickle of tears making their way down her cheeks. "Hey, we're ok, it's all ok," he said softly, Quinn sniffed and nodded, she hugged Alfie a little tighter to her.

"It's just the wasted years," Quinn replied, her voice full of emotion, "I hate that we lost all of those years," she sighed.

"But that doesn't matter now," Puck reminded her. "We're together, here," he grinned, glancing round at the Dudley Road house they called home, "we have a fabulous relationship with Beth, we have this amazing guy here," he grinned as he chucked Alfie under his chin, "I don't think it's too much to ask," he shrugged, "that we find forgiveness."

"You're right," Quinn agreed, she looked around, her gaze lighting on a small ornament that had been a favourite of her mother's. "I do forgive her," she announced decisively, kissing Alfie's head, as she said it, Quinn could swear the small crystal angel glowed, just for a second, just for an instant. Quinn closed her eyes and shook her head, dismissing the notion as quickly as it bloomed in her mind. "I forgive you mom," she whispered as she smiled at her son. "I forgive you."


End file.
